Jonny McCambridge: The two wee hand-written letters which brightened up my day

It is many months since I have been into the office and sat beside my colleagues. Working from home has meant that I have not been at my desk to answer the phone. Yes, there are emails every day, but they are mostly impersonal.

Of course there is an ongoing conversation on social media, but I mostly avoid it, cowed by the level of vituperation which exists there.

For a columnist such a level of detachment is not ideal. There is no barometer to test and challenge the creative process.

There have been times, I must admit, that I have sat down to put together this page and wondered if anyone is bothered at all.

Perhaps I was feeling that way when a large envelope dropped through my front door recently. A colleague had been to the office and forwarded on mail which had been unopened for weeks.

There were two smaller envelopes inside, each containing a hand-written letter.

Both were from people I don’t know. Both of the writers told me how much they enjoyed what I am doing. One of the letters started with the line ‘I follow your page each week’. The other finished with the line ‘Best wishes to your wee son’.

I can’t remember the last time I received a personal letter written by hand. I was deeply grateful.

It reminded me that the most important thing is not how many people you reach, but rather the impact you have on those that you do.

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